Devices and methods for controlling a slew rate of a signal line

ABSTRACT

In one aspect of the invention, a method of reducing intersymbol interference on a signal line is disclosed. A state machine records previous bits that were transmitted over the line. If the bit on the line has been static for several clock cycles, the slew rate will be increased to facilitate correct reading of the bit for the next clock cycle. If the bit on the line has been dynamic for the previous bits, the slew rate will be a lower slew rate to avoid crosstalk between neighboring lines.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/497,485, filed Aug. 1, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 10/847,199, filed May 17, 2004, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,126,394, issued Oct. 24, 2006, each of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to integrated circuit devices,particularly to the field of memory devices.

2. Description of the Related Art

Since the introduction of the digital computer, electronic storagedevices have been a vital resource for the retention of data. One typeof memory is Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). DRAMs typicallyincorporate capacitor and transistor type memory cells. The memory cellstemporarily store data based on the charged state of the capacitorstructure.

DRAM circuits are increasingly using faster clock frequencies, whichresults in increased bandwidth for the user. Currently, DRAMs availableon the market are capable of clock frequencies in the range of 100 MHzto 400 MHz. Future developments will rapidly push the frequency to 700MHz and beyond. Additionally, the use of double data rate (DDR)architecture, which transfers four data bits every two clock cycles atthe I/O pins, allows the DRAM to further increase its maximum bandwidth.

However, increasing the clock frequency also introduces several problemsin addition to the benefits gained in terms of speed. One such problemis a smaller noise margin. The noise margin is the measure of the extentto which a logic circuit can tolerate noise or unwanted spurioussignals. With respect to timing, a smaller noise margin results in asmaller time interval during which the charge state of the capacitor canbe accurately determined. As the operating frequencies increase, therise times and fall times of signal pulses can be as long or even longerthan the pulse width, thus decreasing the effective pulse widths of thesignal pulses.

Intersymbol interference (ISI) can also become a significant factor inthe performance of high frequency DRAM. ISI is the distortion of thesignal, which is caused by residual energies on a line due to the pasthistory of inputs that had insufficient time to reach a steady statebefore the next cycle resulting in shrinking bit valid times. Thecombination of the smaller noise margin and increased intersymbolinterference at higher frequencies can result in a loss of performance.

An example of a problem which contributes to ISI is the failure of aswitched signal to reach a reference voltage before being switchedagain. If the voltage on a signal line does not reach the referencevoltage, the signal level may not be sufficiently high (or sufficientlylow) to be determined unambiguously each time. If the signal levelcannot be correctly determined, data that is to be transferred based onthe occurrence of the signal may be transferred incorrectly. In order toassure that the signal is received properly, the bit valid time must beincreased (e.g., the amount of time during which the signal level can bedetermined unambiguously must be increased). One method to increase thebit valid time is to dynamically adjust the voltage of the signal. Inthis method, the low frequency signals are attenuated, and the highfrequency portion of the signal is amplified. However, such regulationof the voltage may require additional power supplies or other additionalcircuit devices that can increase the cost of DRAMs.

Other methods of remedying the foregoing problems have also beenproposed. However, the implementation of systems to control intersymbolinterference has substantially increased process costs. Thus, a needexists for a solution that addresses the foregoing problems usingavailable control methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a method of increasing bit valid time ona signal line. The method comprises tracking the values of a sequence ofbits transmitted on the signal line and determining a current state ofthe signal line based on the values of a selected number of mostrecently received bits in the sequence. The slew rate is changed byadjusting a driving device in response to a combination of the currentstate of the signal line and value of a next bit in the sequence ofbits.

Another aspect of the invention is a computer memory device. Atransmission line communicates a sequence of data bits. A state machinemonitors the sequence of data bits, determines a line state based on atleast two most recent bits in the sequence, and outputs a slew ratecontrol signal based on the line state and a next bit in the sequence ofbits. A slew rate controller adjusts a rate of change of voltage on thetransmission line based upon the slew rate control signal.

Another aspect of the invention is a system for selectively increasingbit valid time on a signal line of a memory device. The system comprisesa state machine that tracks the previous states of the line, a drivingcircuit to transmit the signal on the line, and a slew rate controllerfor adjusting the impedance of the driving circuit. In particular, whenthe state of the signal line is to be changed after the signal line hasbeen at one state for a predetermined duration, the impedance of thedriving circuit is decreased so that the voltage level on the signalline can change rapidly to the opposite state. On the other hand, whenthe signal line has been at a current state for a short amount of time(e.g., one clock duration), the impedance of the driver circuit isincreased so that the voltage level does not change as rapidly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features and other features of the present invention aredescribed below in connection with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary signal line driver and an exemplarysignal line receiver.

FIG. 2 illustrates timing diagrams of a signal line for differentsequences of bits;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate state diagrams of preferred embodiments of astate machine for implementing aspects of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate preferred embodiments of a slew ratecontroller and a driving circuit; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate timing diagrams of a driver circuit inaccordance with a preferred embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates details of an exemplary embodiment of a slew ratecontroller responsive to a single slew rate control signal; and

FIG. 7 illustrates details of an exemplary embodiment of a slew ratecontroller responsive to two slew rate control signals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description illustrates devices and methods for minimizingintersymbol interference (ISI). In a preferred embodiment, the slew rateof signals on signal lines within a dynamic random access memory (DRAM)device are selectively increased in order to increase the bit valid timeon a signal line when needed while maintaining a slower slew rate whennot needed in order to reduce switching noise. In the preferredembodiment, the slew rate control is implemented using a state machine.Although a state machine can be used specifically to implement theimprovements described herein, the state machine may also have otherpurposes in operating a DRAM device. Preferably, the regulation of slewrate does not introduce an additional controller so that using slew rateadjustment to address the issue of ISI can be accomplished with minimaladditional costs.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary signal line driver 100 and an exemplarysignal line receiver 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the driver 100and the receiver 110 are connected by a signal line 120. Althoughdescribed herein in connection with a single signal line 120 between theoutput of the driver 100 and the input of the receiver 110, it should beunderstood that the apparatus and method disclosed herein can be usedadvantageously with a differential output driver and a differentialreceiver interconnected by a pair of signal lines. Generally,single-ended lines, or non-differential signal lines, suffer from poorbit valid times more than differential signal lines. The referencevoltage in single-ended (non-differential) signal lines is constant at aselected voltage, V_(REF), making crossing this voltage particularlyimportant for good bit valid times.

FIG. 2 illustrates graphs of signal waveforms on the signal line 120 fora plurality of bit sequences. In FIG. 2, a waveform J represents asignal on the signal line 120 that has been at a logical 1 (e.g., at ahigh voltage), for several (e.g., three or more) clock cycles. A similarwaveform P represents a signal on the signal line 120 that has been at alogical 0 for several clock cycles. A reference voltage (V_(REF))represents a signal level that must be crossed by a switching signal inorder for the signal to be detected at the switched signal level.Although shown as a single line at a signal voltage level V_(REF) inFIG. 2, the single value of V_(REF) is illustrated for illustrativepurposes only. It should be understood that the value of the signal maynot be unambiguously determined in a range of voltages proximate toV_(REF).

Because of the impedance of the signal line 120 (e.g., the resistance,capacitance and inductance) and the output impedance of the driver 100,the voltage on the line 120 cannot change instantaneously. Rather, whenthe driver 100 drives the signal toward a particular voltage level, thevoltage on the signal line will reach the voltage rail (e.g., either theupper power supply voltage or the lower power supply voltage (which maybe signal ground)) after a sufficient amount of time has passed. Thus,in high frequency systems, a signal that has been at a particularvoltage level for a longer time (e.g., more clock cycles) may be closerto the respective voltage rail than a signal that has just switched tothat voltage level. For example, in FIG. 2, a waveform K and an oppositewaveform R illustrate signals that have only been at a particularvoltage level for a shorter amount of time (e.g., two clock cycles). Thevoltage level of the waveform K is lower than the voltage level of thewaveform J. Similarly, the voltage level of the waveform R is higherthan the voltage level of the waveform P. In each case, the voltagelevels of the waveforms K and R are farther from the respective voltagerails than the voltage levels of the waveforms J and P.

In FIG. 2, a waveform M and an opposite waveform S illustrate signalsthat have only been at a particular voltage level for an even shorteramount of time (e.g., one clock cycle). The voltage level of thewaveform M is lower than the voltage level of the waveform K. Similarly,the voltage level of the waveform S is higher than the voltage level ofthe waveform SR. In each case, the voltage levels of the waveforms M andS are farther from the respective voltage rails than the voltage levelsof the waveforms K and R.

In FIG. 2, the three pairs of waveforms are illustrated for a system inwhich the slew rate is fixed in order to demonstrate the problem causedby a fixed slew rate. In particular, the waveform J and the waveform Pillustrate an inadequate slew rate at a high operating frequency. Asdiscussed above, the waveforms J and P illustrate signals that have beenat the respective signal level for a sufficient time that the respectivesignal level is at the respective voltage rail. Then, at a time T1, thewaveform J begins to decrease towards the lower voltage rail (e.g.,towards a logical zero or signal ground). Alternatively, the waveform Pbegins to increase towards the higher voltage rail. One clock cyclelater, at a time T2, the signal level is switched so that the waveform Jstarts increasing to the higher voltage rail and the waveform P startsdecreasing toward the lower voltage rail. It can be readily seen thatfor this sequence of events, the waveform J and the waveform P onlyreach the reference voltage V_(REF) before the signal levels switch.Thus, the interval during which the waveform J can be detected as alogical 0 and the corresponding window during which the waveform P canbe detected as a logical 1 have substantially zero duration. In orderfor the correct bit to be read, the voltage must be above or below thereference voltage for a substantial portion of the clock cycle.Waveforms J and P only reach the reference voltage, but do not cross thereference voltage. For this scenario, a faster slew rate is needed inorder to increase the bit valid time to a duration adequate to assurethat the signal level can be received correctly.

As discussed above, the waveforms K and R represent signals that havebeen at a particular signal level for only two clock cycles and thushave not reached the respective voltage rails. At a time T3, thewaveforms K and R begin to switch toward the opposite voltage rails, andone clock cycle later at a time T4, the two waveforms again switch. Itcan be seen that the waveform K decreases below the reference voltageV_(REF) and the waveform R switches above the reference voltage at atime T5, which occurs before the time T4. After the second switch insignal level at the time T4, the waveforms K and R remain above andbelow V_(REF) until a time T6. Thus, although the signal levels wereswitched for only one clock cycle, the waveforms K and R crossed thereference voltage for a sufficient time to be detected at the oppositesignal level. However, it can be seen that the respective oppositesignal levels only have a duration of approximately one-half clockcycle. This short duration may not be adequate for some purposes.

In contrast to the waveforms J and P and the waveforms K and R, thewaveforms M and S represent a scenario where the signal levels arechanging every clock cycle (e.g., the waveforms M and S are shownalternating between logical 0 and logical 1 on each clock cycle).Because the signals represented by the two waveforms M and S areswitching on each clock cycle, the two waveforms do not transition tovoltage levels near the respective rail voltages. Thus, when thewaveforms M and S begin to switch at the time T3, the two waveformscross the reference voltage V_(REF) at a time T7, which is approximatelyone-half clock cycle after the switching starts. Thus, although thewaveforms M and S switch once per clock cycle, as illustrated in FIG. 2,the waveforms M and S remain at the opposite signal levels forsubstantially the duration of a clock cycle and can be unambiguouslydetected as the correct voltage level.

From the foregoing information, it can be seen that the slew rate ofsignals that remain at a particular voltage level for only one clockcycle (e.g., the signal switches once per clock cycle as represented bythe waveforms M and S), do not require a faster slew rate. On the otherhand, signals that remain at a particular voltage level for at least twoclock cycles such that the voltage level becomes closer to therespective rail voltage (e.g., the signals K and R) require a fasterslew rate so that the voltage level of the signal is switched past thereference voltage V_(REF) to an opposite voltage level at a sufficientlyfast rate that the signal can be detected at the opposite voltage levelfor an adequate portion of the clock cycle. Furthermore, signals thatremain at a particular voltage level for an even longer time (e.g.,three or more clock cycles, as illustrated by the signals J and P) suchthat the signal levels are at or close to the rail voltages require aneven faster slew rate in order to change from the rail voltage and crossthe reference voltage.

Simply increasing the slew rate for the signal lines in order toaccommodate the scenario illustrated by the waveforms J and P is not anacceptable solution. The timing of signals will typically varysubstantially, and a line that is rapidly switching at one time can stopswitching for several clock cycles. Similarly, a signal that has notswitched for a number of clock cycles can start switching in response tochanging conditions. Thus, the slew rate does not need to be at itsmaximum rate in all occasions. In fact, if the slew rate is consistentlytoo fast, the rapid signal transitions on the all the signal lines canresult in, increased noise and increased crosstalk between the signallines. To correctly balance the need for a higher slew rate to increasebit valid time and the minimization of noise on the line, the presentinvention uses a state machine to determine the proper slew rate inaccordance with the history of the signal levels on a particular signalline and in accordance with the state of the next signal bit to betransmitted on the signal line.

In the illustrated embodiment, the state machine preferably records aseries of output bits in first-in-first-out (FIFO) fashion. Depending onan acceptable level of complexity to be introduced into the system, thestate machine can record a varying number of bits. In a preferredembodiment, the state machine records between about 1 and 16 bits. Morepreferably, the state machine records between about 2 and 8 bits. In amost preferred embodiment illustrated herein, the state machine records3 bits.

A first state machine is shown in FIG. 3A as a Mealy representationusing four states and the transitions between the states. The numbers 0and 1 are used in this chart in their typical meaning of low voltage andhigh voltage, respectively, although one skilled in the art willappreciate that the opposite representation can also be used. In theillustrated example, the value of the last two bits transmitted are“stored” in the state machine as the current state of the state machine.In FIG. 3A, the four states are illustrated as 00, 01, 10 and 11. Thenext bit to be output on the signal line is provided as an input bit tothe state machine and is shown as the first character proximate to acurved transition arrow connecting two states or connecting a state toitself. The output of the state machine that controls the slew rate isdetermined by the last two bits transmitted and the next bit to betransmitted. The output of the state machine is shown in FIG. 3A as theletter following the slash (/) proximate to the transition arrows. Forexample, in FIG. 3A, the letter “c” represents a control signal to theslew rate controller to provide a nominal slew rate and the letter “b”represents a control signal to the slew rate controller to provide afast slew rate. The letter “x” represents the don't care condition forconditions where the signal level is not changing.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, when the previous two transmitted bitswere 00, and the next bit is a 1, a high slew rate (control signal “b”)is preferred because the signal line must transition from a voltagelevel close to the lower voltage rail and cross to the high side of thereference voltage. Hence, the transition arrow from the state 00 to thestate 01 is labeled with the characters “1/b”. Similarly, if theprevious two transmitted bits were 11, and the next bit is a 0, a highslew rate is also preferred because the signal line must transition froma voltage level close to the higher voltage rail and cross to the lowside of the reference voltage. The transition arrow from the state 11 tothe state 10 is labeled with the characters “0/b”.

In FIG. 3A, if the previous two transmitted bits were 01, and the nextbit is a 0, the slower nominal slew rate could be used. The transitionarrow from the state 01 to the state 10 is labeled with the characters“0/c”. Similarly, if the previous two bits were 10, and the next bit isa 1, the slower nominal slew rate could be used. The transition from thestate 01 to the state 10 is labeled with the characters “1/c”. In thesetwo cases, the voltage on the line has not had a sufficient time toapproach the respective rail voltage before the signal is switched.

As further illustrated in FIG. 3A, when the input bit does not change,the slew rate is not relevant. For example, when the previouslytransmitted bits were 00 or 10 and the next bit to be transmitted is a0, no transition in voltage level will occur. Similarly, when thepreviously transmitted bits were 11 or 01 and the next bit to betransmitted is a 1, no transition in voltage level will occur. Thus, thetransition arrows from the states 00 and 10 to the state 00 are labeledwith the characters “0/x”, and the transition arrows from the states 11and 01 to the state 11 are labeled with the characters “1/x”.

A state diagram of another embodiment of the state machine isillustrated in FIG. 3B. The embodiment of FIG. 3B records 3 bits andoutputs one of four control signals for the selection of the slew rate.The increased number of states in the state machine of FIG. 3B allowsthree slew rates to be generated in addition to the don't care statediscussed above. As discussed above, an output character “c” representsa nominal slew rate when the input bit is toggling from one logic levelto the other voltage level on each clock cycle. The output character “b”represents a faster slew rate when the input bit has remained at thesame logic level for two clock cycles such that the voltage on thesignal line has increased or decreased toward the respective railvoltage. In FIG. 3B, an output character “a” represents a fastest slewrate to be used when the input bit has remained at the same logic levelfor at least three clock cycles and the voltage on the signal line is ator close to a respective rail voltage.

The current states, the input bits, the next states and the outputcharacters are summarized in the following table: CURRENT NEXT OUTPUTSTATE INPUT BIT STATE CONTROL 000 0 000 x 000 1 001 a 001 0 010 c 001 1011 x 010 0 100 x 010 1 101 c 011 0 110 b 011 1 111 x 100 0 000 x 100 1001 b 101 0 010 c 101 1 011 x 110 0 100 x 110 1 101 c 111 0 110 a 111 1111 x

In a preferred embodiment, the data to be placed on the line is receivedin packets of signals in parallel from the memory array of a DRAMdevice. Preferably, the packets include a plurality of bits rangingbetween 4 bits and 32 bits. More preferably, the number of bits in eachpacket ranges between 8 bits and 16 bits. The data are serialized fortransmission upon the signal line. This leads to the advantage that thestate machine has the next bits to be transmitted available for analysiswhile the current bit is being transmitted. Thus, the state machine cananticipate the states of the input signals several bits before the inputsignals are to be transmitted. Preferably, when the last bit of a packetis about to be transmitted, the next packet will have been received sothat the state machine will always have information regarding the nextbit to be transmitted.

As indicated above, more than three bits can be recorded by the statemachine. When additional bits are considered in the slew ratecalculation, more intermediate slew rates can be introduced into thedesign of the state machine. As illustrated in FIG. 3B, when three bitsare used, three slew rate states are possible. With each additional bitthat is tracked, an additional slew rate can be implemented. However,the addition of intermediate slew rates has diminishing returns becausethe capacitive effect of the transmission line causes a non-lineartransition of the voltage level of the signal towards the respectiverail voltage. In particular, the voltage does not change significantlyas the line remains static past a few bits (e.g., for more than threeclock cycles). After a few clock cycles, the signal asymptoticallyapproaches the respective rail voltage (e.g., either the signal groundor the power supply voltage), and changes very little during subsequentclock cycles. Since the signal voltage is not changing, there is little,if any, benefit of tracking additional bits to provide additionalcontrol of the slew rate.

The slew rate is determined by a number of factors, including thecharacteristics of the transmission line (e.g., the resistance,capacitance and inductance of the line), the loading of the receivingcircuit, and the output impedance of the driving circuit. Thecharacteristics of the transmission line cannot be readily adjusted on abit-by-bit basis; however, the characteristics of the driving circuitcan be adjusted to vary the slew rate on a bit-by-bit basis.

FIG. 4A illustrates an embodiment of a slew rate controller 300responsive to the outputs of a state machine represented by the statediagram in FIG. 3A. In particular, the slew rate controller 300 receivesthe slew rate control signal “b” on an input line 310 and receives theslew rate control signal “c” on an input line 312. The slew ratecontroller 300 combines the slew rate control signals “b” and “c” withthe value of the next bit, which is received on an input line 314.

Although shown as a separate device, it should be understood that inanother embodiment, the slew rate controller 300 is advantageouslyintegrated with the state machine. In particular, the slew ratecontroller 300 advantageously includes a state machine that analyzes thepast data and also selects and implements the slew rate.

The slew rate controller 300 generates pull-up control signals on threeoutput pins. In particular, the slew rate controller 300 generates a PU1signal on a pin 320, generates a PU2 signal on a pin 322, generates aPU3 signal on a pin 324, generates a PD1 signal on a pin 330, generatesa PD2 signal on a pin 332, and generates a PD3 signal on a pin 334.

Preferably, the six output pins of the slew rate controller 300 areconnected to a driving circuit 340, as illustrated in FIG. 4B. Thedriving circuit 340 comprises a pull-up section 342 and a pull-downsection 344. The pull-up section 342 has a power input 350 connected tothe upper voltage rail and has a first control input 352, a secondcontrol input 354 and a third control input 356 that receive the PU1signal, the PU2 signal and the PU3 signal, respectively. The pull-upsection 342 has an output 358 connected to the transmission line 120(FIG. 1).

The pull-down section 344 has a power input 360 connected to the lowervoltage rail (e.g., signal ground or another relatively low voltage withrespect to the upper voltage rail). The pull-down section 344 has afirst control input 362, a second control input 364 and a third controlinput 366 that receive the PD1 signal, the PD2 signal and the PD3signal, respectively. The pull-down section 344 has an output 368connected to the transmission line 120 (FIG. 1) and thus connected incommon with the output 358 of the pull-up section 342.

FIG. 4C illustrates the driver 340 in more detail. The pull-up section342 comprises a first p-channel Metal-Oxide-SemiconductorField-Effect-Transistors (MOSFET) 370, a second p-channel MOSFET 372 anda third p-channel MOSFET 374 connected in parallel between the powerinput 350 and the output 358. (The p-channel MOSFETs are also referredto herein as PMOS transistors.) Each p-channel MOSFET 370, 372, 374 hasa respective control terminal that enables conduction through the MOSFETwhen the voltage applied to the control terminal is low with respect tothe power input (e.g., the upper voltage rail). The control terminal ofthe MOSFET 370 is connected to the first control input 352 to receivethe PU1 signal. The control terminal of the MOSFET 372 is connected tothe second control input 354 to receive the PU2 signal. The controlterminal of the MOSFET 374 is connected to the third control input 356to receive the PU3 signal.

The pull-down section 344 comprises a first n-channel MOSFET 380, asecond n-channel MOSFET 382 and a third n-channel MOSFET 384 connectedin parallel between the power input 360 and the output 368. (Then-channel MOSFETs are also referred to herein as NMOS transistors.) Eachn-channel MOSFET 380, 382, 384 has a respective control terminal thatenables conduction through the MOSFET when the voltage applied to thecontrol terminal is high with respect to the power input (e.g., highwith respect to the lower voltage rail (e.g., signal ground)). Thecontrol terminal of the MOSFET 380 is connected to the first controlinput 362 to receive the PD1 signal. The control terminal of the MOSFET382 is connected to the second control input 364 to receive the PD2signal. The control terminal of the MOSFET 384 is connected to the thirdcontrol input 364 to receive the PD3 signal.

The DC impedance of the pull-up section 342 is determined by the numberof p-channel MOSFETs that are active at the same time, and the DCimpedance of the pull-down section 344 is determined by the number ofn-channel MOSFETs that are active at the same time. The slew ratecontroller 300 generates the pull-up signals and the pull-down signalsin selected sequences to activate the MOSFETs as appropriate to producethe selected slew rate. In effect, the slew rate controller implementsthe selected slew rate by selecting the resistance of the chargingsection 342 or the discharging section 344.

Because the DC power supply that supplies the upper rail voltage appearsas an AC ground, the active MOSFETs in the pull-up section 342 appear tobe in parallel with the active MOSFETs in the pull-down section 344 withrespect to the AC characteristics. In the preferred embodiment, thetotal number of MOSFETs that are active at the same time is selected tobe constant. In particular, as described below, three MOSFETs are alwaysactive in one of the following combinations:

-   -   three p-channel MOSFETs active    -   two p-channel MOSFETs and one n-channel MOSFET    -   one p-channel MOSFET and two n-channel MOSFETs; and    -   three n-channel MOSFETs.

Sample timing diagrams for the pull-up signals and the pull-down signalsare illustrated FIGS. 5A and 5B. In particular, FIG. 5A illustrates thetiming of the pull-up signals and the pull-down signals to produce afast slew rate when the fast slew rate control signal “b” is active.FIG. 5B illustrates the timing of the pull-up signals and the pull-downsignals to produce a nominal slew rate when the nominal slew ratecontrol signal “c” is active. The times at which the transistors in thedriving circuit 440 are switched are varied to select the required slewrate. For example, in FIG. 5B, the intervals between switching times isgreater than the corresponding intervals in FIG. 5A. More separationbetween the switching of the transistors leads to a slower slew rate.Thus, the rate of change (i.e., the slew rate) of the voltage (waveformQ) on the transmission line 120 in FIG. 5B is less than the rate ofchange of the voltage (waveform Q) on the transmission line 120 in FIG.5A.

In FIG. 5A, a waveform 500 represents the voltage on the PU1 signal as afunction of time, a waveform 502 represents the voltage on the PU2signal, a waveform 504 represents the voltage on the PU3 signal, awaveform 510 represents the voltage on Q signal on the transmission line120, a waveform 520 represents the voltage on the PD1 signal, a waveform522 represents the voltage on the PD2 signal, and a waveform 524represents the voltage on the PD3 signal. Initially, the PU1 signal, thePU2 signal and the PU3 signal all have a high voltage level such thatthe respective p-channel MOSFETs 370, 372, 374 are all turned off.Similarly, the PD1 signal, the PD2 signal and the PD3 signal also allhave a high voltage level such that the respective n-channel MOSFETs380, 382, 384 are all turned on. Since only the pull-down transistorsare turned on, the Q signal (waveform 510) is low (e.g., at signalground). At a time T1, the PU1 signal becomes active low and the PD1signal becomes inactive low such that the first p-channel MOSFET 370 isturned on and the first n-channel MOSFET is turned off. Thus, thevoltage of the Q signal begins to increase from signal ground toward theupper voltage rail. A short time later, at a time T2, the PU2 signalbecomes active low and the PD2 signal becomes inactive low to turn onthe second p-channel MOSFET 372 and to turn off the second n-channelMOSFET 382. The Q signal voltage continues to increase toward the uppervoltage rail. At a time T3, the PU3 signal becomes active low and thePD3 signal becomes inactive low to turn on the third p-channel MOSFET374 and to turn off the third n-channel MOSFET 384. The Q signal voltageincreases to the upper voltage rail and remains at that level until thefirst p-channel MOSFET 370 and the first n-channel MOSFET 380 are againswitched beginning at a time T4 when the PU1 signal is turned off andthe PD1 signal is turned on. The Q signal voltage begins to decrease andcontinues to decrease at a time T5, when the PU2 signal switches high toturn off the second p-channel MOSFET 372, and the PD2 signal switcheshigh to turn on the second n-channel MOSFET. Thereafter, at a time T6,the PU3 signal switches high to turn off the third p-channel MOSFET 374,and the PD3 signal switches high to turn on the third n-channel MOSFET384.

The waveforms in FIG. 5B are similar to the waveforms in FIG. 5A and areidentified accordingly. In FIG. 5B, the times T1, T2 and T3 are spacedfarther apart than the corresponding times in FIG. 5A. Similarly, thetimes T4, T5 and T6 are spaced farther apart in FIG. 5B. Because of theincreased spacing between the switching times, the Q waveform in FIG. 5Bhas slower rise times and fall times than the Q waveform in FIG. 5A.

As discussed above, the waveforms in FIG. 5A are generated when the highslew rate signal “b” is active, and the waveforms in FIG. 5B aregenerated when the nominal slew rate signal “c” is active.

FIG. 6 illustrates additional details of an exemplary embodiment of theslew rate controller 300. The slew rate controller 300 comprises a firstcontrol signal generator 600 that generates a first output signal, asecond signal generator 602 that generates a second output signal, and athird signal generator 604 that generates a third output signal. In theembodiment described herein wherein the PU1 signal and the PD1 signalare switched to and from the same levels at the same time, asillustrated in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the PU1 signal and the PD1 signalare both connected to the first output signal. Similarly, the PU2 signaland the PD2 signal are both connected to the second output signal. ThePU3 signal and the PD3 signal are both connected to the third outputsignal.

The first slew rate control signal generator 600 comprises a first delayelement 610 and a first output buffer 612. The data signal on the input314 is provided as an input to the first delay element 610. The firstdelay element 610 delays the data signal by a time duration d1, and theoutput of the first delay element 610 provides the d1-delayed datasignal to an input to the output buffer 612. The output of the outputbuffer 612 is the first output signal and thus is the PU1 signal and thePD1 signal.

The second slew rate control signal generator 602 comprises a seconddelay element 620, a third delay element 622, a second buffer circuit624, a third buffer circuit 626, and a first multiplexer (“MUX”) 628.The data signal on the input line 314 is provided as an input to thesecond delay element 620 and is provided as an input to the third delayelement 622. The second delay element 620 delays the data signal by atime duration d2, and the third delay element 622 delays the data signalby a time duration d3. The output of the second delay element 620provides the d2-delayed data signal to a first input (1) of the firstmultiplexer 628 via the second buffer circuit 624. The output of thethird delay element 622 provides the d3-delayed data signal to a secondinput (0) of the first multiplexer 628 via the third buffer circuit 626.The first multiplexer 628 has a control input (S) that is controlled bythe slew control signal “b” on the input line 310. When the slew controlsignal “b” on the input line 310 is high, the first multiplexer 628provides the d2-delayed data signal on the first input (1) as the secondoutput signal corresponding to the PU2 signal and the PD2 signal. Whenthe slew control signal “b” on the input line 310 is low, the firstmultiplexer 628 provides the d3-delayed data signal on the second input(0) as the second output signal corresponding to the PU2 signal and thePD2 signal.

The third slew rate control signal generator 604 comprises a fourthdelay element 630, a fifth delay element 632, a fourth buffer circuit634, a fifth buffer circuit 636, and a second multiplexer (“MUX”) 638.The data signal on the input 314 is provided as an input to the fourthdelay element 630 and is provided as an input to the fifth delay element632. The fourth delay element 630 delays the data signal by a timeduration d4, and the fifth delay element 632 delays the data signal by atime duration d5. The output of the fourth delay element 630 providesthe d4-delayed data signal to a first input (1) of the secondmultiplexer 638 via the fourth buffer circuit 634. The output of thefifth delay element 632 provides the d5-delayed data signal to a secondinput (0) of the second multiplexer 638 via the fifth buffer circuit636. The second multiplexer 638 has a control input (S) that iscontrolled by the slew control signal “b” on the input line 310. Whenthe slew control signal “b” on the input line 310 is high, the secondmultiplexer 638 provides the d4-delayed data signal on the first input(1) as the third output signal corresponding to the PU3 signal and thePD3 signal. When the slew control signal “b” on the input line 310 islow, the second multiplexer 638 provides the d5-delayed data signal onthe second input (0) as the third output signal corresponding to the PU3signal and the PD3 signal.

The delays provided by each of the delay elements 612, 622, 624, 632,634 are selected to provide the timing relations shown in FIGS. 5A and5B. For example, the following relationships between the delay elementsare advantageous in one particular embodiment:

-   -   d1<d2<d4    -   d1<d3<d5    -   d2<d3    -   d4<d5

In certain embodiments, the first delay d1 can be set to 0 so that thefirst output that provides the PU1 signal and the PD1 signal switchesimmediately after the data signal changes.

It will be appreciated that in the embodiment of FIG. 6, only the fastslew rate signal “b” is required to control the slew rate. This resultsbecause there are only two active slew rates. When the data does notchange in consecutive clock cycles, the slew rate is not relevant, asindicated by the don't care conditions (“x”) discussed above. Althoughthe signal is not changing, the slew rate for the don't care conditioncan be set for either the fast slew rate “b” or the nominal slew rate“c”. In FIG. 6, the second control signal generator 602 and the thirdcontrol signal generator 604 only needs to distinguish between the fastslew rate when the “b” slew rate control signal is active and thecombined nominal slew rate and no slewing when either the “c” slew ratecontrol signal is active or the “x” don't care signal is active. Thus,the circuit in FIG. 6 only needs to distinguish between an active “b”signal and an inactive “b” signal as illustrated.

As illustrated by a slew rate controller 700 in FIG. 7, the slew ratecontroller 300 of FIG. 6 is readily expanded to accommodate theadditional slew rate control signal “a” from the state diagram of FIG.3B. In the slew rate controller 700, a first slew rate control signalgenerator 710 corresponds to the first slew rate control signalgenerator 600 of FIG. 6 and includes a first d1-delay element 712 and afirst buffer circuit 714.

A second slew rate control signal generator 720 in FIG. 7 includes asecond d2-delay element 722, a second buffer circuit 724, a thirdd3-delay element 726, a third buffer circuit 728, a fourth d4-delayelement 730 and a fourth buffer circuit 732. A first multiplexer 740 isadvantageously implemented as a first AND-gate 742, a second AND-gate744, a third AND-gate 746, and an OR-gate 748. The first AND-gate 742has a first input that receives the output of the second d2-delayelement 722 via the second buffer circuit 724, has a second input thatreceives the “a” control signal on an input line 316. The secondAND-gate 744 has a first input that receives the output of the thirdd3-delay element 726 via the third buffer circuit 728 and has a secondinput that receives the “b” control signal from an input line 310. Thethird AND-gate 746 has a first input that receives the output of thefourth d4-delay element 730 via the fourth buffer circuit 732 and asecond input that receives the “b” control signal through an inverter741, and has a third input that receives an “a” control signal throughan inverter 749. The outputs of the first AND-gate 742, the secondAND-gate 744 and the third AND-gate 746 are provided as inputs to thefirst OR-gate 748. The output of the first OR-gate 748 is the combinedPU2 signal and PD2 signal.

A third slew rate control signal generator 760 in FIG. 7 includes afifth d5-delay element 762, a fifth buffer circuit 764, a sixth d6-delayelement 766, a sixth buffer circuit 768, a seventh d7-delay element 770and a seventh buffer circuit 772. A second multiplexer 780 isadvantageously implemented as a fourth AND-gate 782, a fifth AND-gate784, a sixth AND-gate 786, and a second OR-gate 788. The fourth AND-gate782 has a first input that receives the output of the fifth d5-delayelement 772 via the fifth buffer circuit 774, and has a second inputthat receives the “a” control signal from the input line 316. The fifthAND-gate 784 has a first input that receives the output of the sixthd6-delay element 766 via the sixth buffer circuit 768 and has a secondinput that receives the “b” control signal. The sixth AND-gate 786 has afirst input that receives the output of the seventh d7-delay element 770via the seventh buffer circuit 772 and has a second input that receivesthe “b” through an inverter 787, and has a third input that receives theinverted “a” control signal through an inverter 781. The outputs of thesixth AND-gate 782, the seventh AND-gate 784 and the eighth AND-gate 786are provided as inputs to the second OR-gate 788. The output of thesecond OR-gate 788 is the combined PU3 signal and PD3 signal.

In order to provide the three slew rates, the following relationshipsbetween the delays d1, d2, d3, d4, d5, d6 and d7 are advantageouslyimplemented:

-   -   d1<d2<d5    -   d1<d3<d6    -   d1<d4<d7    -   d2<d3<d4    -   d5<d6<d7

Note that in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the don't care condition and the“c” condition are combined as being present when neither the “a”condition nor the “b” condition is present. Thus, the don't carecondition is implemented as the nominal slew rate so that the voltagelevel on the output does not change if the data signal does not change.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that yetother embodiments may be made and used within the scope of the claimshereto attached. Numerous advantages of the invention covered by thisdocument have been set forth in the foregoing description. It will beunderstood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, onlyillustrative. Changes may be made in details without exceeding the scopeof the invention.

1. A method of increasing digit valid time on a signal line, the methodcomprising: tracking values of a plurality of digits received by adriving device and transmitted on a signal line by the driving device;determining a current state of the signal line based on the values ofrecently received digits of the plurality of digits; and adjusting aslew rate of the driving device in response to the current state of thesignal line and in response to a value of a next digit in the pluralityof digits.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the slew ratefurther comprises setting the slew rate to one of at least threedifferent predetermined rates.
 3. The method of claim 1, additionallycomprising receiving the plurality of digits in a packet.
 4. The methodof claim 3, additionally comprising receiving the packet from a dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM) device.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe next digit is adjacent one of the recently received digits.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the plurality of digits comprises a pluralityof bits.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the slew ratecomprises changing an impedance of a charging section and a dischargingsection of the driving device.
 8. A memory device comprising: an input;an output configured to transmit on a signal line a plurality of datavalues received by the input; and a module configured to monitor theplurality of data values and to output a slew rate control signal basedon at least two recent data values of the plurality of data values and anext data value in the plurality of data values.
 9. The memory device ofclaim 8, further comprising a slew rate controller configured to adjusta rate of change of voltage on the signal line based on the slew ratecontrol signal.
 10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the slew ratecontrol signal comprises one of four predetermined values.
 11. Thememory device of claim 10, wherein three of the four predeterminedvalues correspond to three different slew rates.
 12. The memory deviceof claim 11, wherein the slew rate controller comprises three signalgenerators.
 13. The memory device of claim 12, wherein at least one ofthe three signal generators comprises a delay element, buffer circuitryand a multiplexer.
 14. The memory device of claim 8, further comprisingdriving circuitry comprising a pull-up section and a pull-down section.15. The memory device of claim 14, wherein the slew rate controllercomprises a plurality of independently selectable delay elementsconfigured to determine the timing of signals sent to the drivingcircuitry.
 16. The memory device of claim 8, wherein the plurality ofdata values comprises a plurality of bits.
 17. The memory device ofclaim 8, wherein the module comprises a state machine.
 18. A memorydevice for adjusting a slew rate on a signal line, the memory devicecomprising: means for tracking values of a plurality of digits receivedby the memory device and transmitted on a signal line by the memorydevice; means for determining a current state of the signal line basedon values of a number of most recently received digits of the pluralityof digits on the signal line; and means for outputting a slew ratecontrol signal based on the current state of the signal line and on avalue of a next digit in the plurality of digits.
 19. The memory deviceof claim 18, further comprising means for adjusting a slew rate of thememory device based at least in part on the slew rate control signal.20. The memory device of claim 19, wherein the next digit is adjacentone of the most recently received digits of the plurality of digits.